


A bet's a bet (but who said we can't get upset?)

by multifandomcircusfreak



Series: Leo Fitz's sweet tooth [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-10
Updated: 2015-01-11
Packaged: 2018-03-06 22:37:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3150884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/multifandomcircusfreak/pseuds/multifandomcircusfreak
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leopold Fitz had a problem. This problem was not one that could necessarily be diagnosed or in any way hinder his abilities like his aphasia, but it was one that would annoy Jemma Simmons to no end for the rest of her existence.</p><p>Leo Fitz had a sweet tooth. </p><p>(Or the one where Jemma proves that she has a very wonderful memory when it comes to bets.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [full_time_dreamer_behold](https://archiveofourown.org/users/full_time_dreamer_behold/gifts).



> So, I made this as a gift for my friend Clo. Enjoy!

Leopold Fitz had a problem. This problem was not one that could necessarily be diagnosed or in any way hinder his abilities like his aphasia, but it was one that would annoy Jemma Simmons to no end for the rest of her existence.

Leo Fitz had a sweet tooth.

She'd discovered this fact the first time she'd been to his dorm room at the Academy, all those years ago. Every nook and cranny that was not filled with blueprints (both crumpled up and discarded and blank and completed, all alike) or laundry (which he'd somehow not learned how to deal with), was stuffed with wrappers of any junk food that you could name.

He had oreos, doritos, ramen noodles, thin mints -the list went on forever. When she'd confronted him about it, he'd simply looked at her with an expression of challenging annoyance spread clearly across features and said "Yes, Simmons. I can live off of doritos if I please to do so. I can and I will. And I won't be persuaded to eat your _rabbit food_ or whatever it is that you get off on."

She had eventually convinced him to eat at least one healthy food a day, though. Even if the process had included multiple death glares, innumerable arguments, his mum's cooking, a bet, and an event that left her rushing to the loo to vomit. That, however, was a story for another time.

Now, sitting at a table in The Playground's break room, right beside the kitchen, Jemma watched the engineer in question load what looked to be enough marshmallows to build a small replica of the "1000 de la gauchetière" into a mug of steaming hot liquid, which she presumed to be hot chocolate. On top of that, he added in some whipped cream. She shuddered at the sweetness that must be packed into that one beverage.

She'd been gone too long.

Jemma should have known that he'd slip back into his old habits without her there to reprimand him. She continued to sit there, watching him from another room smirk at the mug (which happened have the face of grumpy cat depicted on one of its sides. Where on earth had he found a mug like that?) in approval and leave, probably on his way to the garage.

Jemma fiddled with the handle of her own tea cup. What was she to do? Most people would accept his habits at that, bad as they were, and move on. Skye would probably laugh and make some comment about his teeth falling out, but then she'd be done. Jemma did not have that skill.

She sipped the last of her tea thoughtfully, before getting up to make her way to the kitchen to put it in the sink. As she rinsed out the cup, her eye caught on something further down the counter and she had a sudden burst of inspiration. Perfect. Jemma quickly dried the cup and put it away, before grabbing the object and dashing down the halls of The Playground on her way to the garage.

She arrived to find Fitz with his back to her, leaning over a table looking at something and chatting with Mack. Jemma hesitated at the door for a few seconds, but slipped inside quietly and unnoticed. As she walked closer, she gripped what she she was holding tighter and half hid it behind her back.

Mack looked up at the sound of her footsteps to face her. "Well, hello miss Simmons!" he boomed. At those words, Fitz seemed to tense up and looked to his friend. "What are you doing he-"

Before he could finish, Jemma walked all the way up until she was behind Fitz and firmly placed the apple on the table in front of it. "Eat it." She ordered.

Fitz had at first looked shocked and surprised when she'd randomly placed a fruit before him, but at the sound of those words, the words he'd heard for so long, he began to scoff and sputter arguments.

"Oh, come on!" he complained. "Are -are we really going to do this again? That bet was years ago!" His expression was a mixture of childish pleading and even more immaturely annoyed.

"You promised."

"But -but, Jemmaaaa!" he whined.

Silently pleased that after so long of being distant, they were back to something reminiscent of their old back and forth arguing, she placed her hands on her hips authoritatively and remarked "Did you really think that I would forget? A deal's a deal."

"I was _hoping_ that you'd forget." Fitz grumbled, while taking a disgruntled bite of the apple.

Upon hearing Mack clear his throat, Jemma remembered that they were not alone in this room, and judging by Fitz's startled face when he heard the sound, she guessed that he had as well.

"So, what exactly is going on here?" Mack asked.

 

"Simmons won a bet at the Academy," Fitz answered while chewing another bite. " _Ten years ago,_ " he exaggerated, giving her a pointed look. "Now, I have to eat at least one healthy food per day."

Mack laughed and clapped Fitz on the back. "How'd you get him to agree to that? I've seen the amount of junk food that he has in his stash."

"Long story." The two scientists said in unison.

"It wasn't easy." Jemma added. "It required a lot of effort and sacrifice."

Fitz scoffed at that last word. "I, I um, don't think that the _sacrifice_ that I so horribly made you commit to was that bad." He wasn't helping his own point though, because he was on the verge of laughter.

"You know damn well what you did. Don't play coy, Fitz."

He only smirked.

 

***

 

The next day, her attempts were met with less resistance. Fitz had been sitting on the couch with Skye, going over the details about some software that he'd designed that she could use to help boost the range and efficiency of her hacks. Before them, was a plate of crumbs, which she decided had most likely been the last of the cookies that Coulson had brought back from his last outing.

She stood in front of them, waiting for Fitz to look up. When he did, he at first looked happy to see her, before setting eyes on the pear that she held in her left hand and groaned -loudly.

"Eat it." She commanded.

He didn't try and argue his way out of it like he had the day before and grudgingly accepted the fruit when she held it out to him. "I don't see why this is necessary," he grumbled as he snatched the pear out of her hands. "I've eaten healthy today, honest."

Jemma merely picked up the plate in response. "I didn't know that cookies were suddenly good for you now?"

"Those were Skye's! Not mine!" he protested.

"Yeah, my cookies that _you_ ate." Skye retorted, looking up from her laptop long enough to punch his shoulder playfully. "That was the third time you've taken my snacks in the last two weeks! I'm never going to forgive you for the cupcake thing."

"You left them on the counter! Which in my book, means up for grabs."

"Hmm, say that again the next time Simmons is sitting on the kitchen counter..." Skye murmured, causing Fitz to choke slightly on his food and Jemma to make a weird sound and look at the hacker like she'd seen a ghost. Both scientists excused themselves as quickly as they could and left.

 

***

 

Two weeks later, when Simmons walked into the lab holding a bowl of strawberries, Fitz just took it without a word of action against it. She'd expected Mack to be in the room with him, as he usually was, but they were alone.

"I didn't think that it was strawberry season," Fitz commented, breaking the silence.

"Well, it is somewhere. I guess that fresh fruit is a perk that comes with working on a plane."

"Yeah..." he said with a smile.

He sat down on a lab bench and she followed his lead, settling down beside him. They were still figuring this out, the whole talking thing. Through a scientist's eyes, she would say that the results were improving and positive. Fitz was eating at least a little bit healthier and coming in every day to give him healthy snacks gave Jemma the opportunity to speak to him and try and break down the barrier that had been placed between them. It wasn't the same, not by a long shot, but it was somewhere and she was thankful for that.

"Jemma..." Fitz hesitated, as if afraid that whatever he would say next would place him into a spot of no return. After many years of friendship, she'd learned most of his tones and although this was a relatively new one, she recognized it. Fitz liked to be safe. He liked to be able to fall back through his words, to pretend like something bad never happened if it didn't work out and take it back. But, there were times where you couldn't do that, and they both were completely aware of that fact.

"Yes, Fitz?" she said softly, placing a gentle hand on his knee. She felt like she was walking on a tightrope. One misstep and they would both fall to their doom. But, if they made it across...

"I, I .... I just wanted to apologize. I messed us up. I dropped a bomb on you in the medpod and made you uncomfortable and I don't blame you for wanting to leave because of it. I'm sorry."

Jemma's mouth dropped into an O. Were they really going to have that conversation? She felt her figurative tightrope become just a bit more real.

"Fitz, that's..." she struggled to get the words out after keeping them trapped inside her throat for so long. "I didn't leave because of you. Well, I mean, technically I did, but not for that reason."

He looked up at her, waiting for an explanation. She took a deep breath and imagined herself taking another step across the rope. "I left because I thought it would help you. I... I noticed that whenever you were with me, your progress would decrease. It was like you pressured yourself so hard to be better around me that you actually got worse. I left to give you enough space to heal."

"So..." Fitz pondered. "It wasn't because of what I said?"

"Not at all. And I hope you know that I'm sorry too. I never would have left if I didn't think it was the right thing to do, but now I wish I hadn't. I left you on your own when you needed me most, I messed us up too."

"But I was a jerk to you when you got back."

"And I didn't let you have a chance to heal properly."

"I'm sorry, Jemma."

"I'm sorry, Fitz."

Once those words were spoken, they looked up into each others eyes. It was all out in the open. Where it went from here was the make-or-break moment. They were dangling over the edge now. There was no safety net and they would either make it across or they would fall.

"Can we try again?" Fitz asked. She could hear the vulnerability in his voice. He knew the stakes.

Jemma smiled a faint smile and answered the response that was genuine down to her very soul. "Yes, Fitz. There's nothing I want more."

Jemma didn't know who opened their arms first or if it was a synchronized movement, but suddenly they were in each other's arms and she was home. She nestled her head into his shoulder, enjoying the comfort and the peacefulness and how she could smell the scent on him that she could only describe as _Fitz_. It had been so long since they'd hugged that she'd almost forgotten how wonderful the sensation of belonging was, but it was better than she remembered, because they fit perfectly together and she knew the second that he sighed ever so quietly against her shirt that she'd made it. They'd made it across the tightrope that had plagued her thoughts and she knew that they could go from there.

Neither one of them wanted to let go, but after an indefinite amount of time, he said quietly. "Would you like a strawberry?"

Jemma laughed the first sincere laugh that she had in a long time and said "Let's share."

She didn't know who's grin was bigger.


	2. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, after having many people convince me, I finally wrote down that epilogue. So, here you go!

Two months later, Jemma fiddled with apple that she held in her hands. It was what she started with, wasn't it? Maybe that would help to calm her nerves. Why she was so anxious, and had no idea. This was Fitz. He was her best friend (oh, that didn't help). She was comfortable around him. So why was it so hard to tell him how she felt? She'd even practiced in the mirror. _But the mirror doesn't have his eyes..._

Taking a deep breath, she crossed the last few steps until she was right in front of the lab's door. Inside, she could see Fitz talking animatedly with Mack. He always looked so cute when he was happy, didn't he? The way his eyes would light up the entire room. But, Mack was there, so surely what she was going to say could wait until tomorrow. Maybe she should just leave now while she could...

Jemma began contemplating leaving quietly and giving Fitz his daily healthy snack later, but then she was snapped from her thoughts by the sound of her name being called. As she realized that Fitz had spotted her through the glass and was now waving at her with a huge smile on his face (oh god, his smile) she suddenly became aware that she had been staring.

Putting on a smile like a mask over her jumping nerves, Jemma walked into the room. Awkwardly, she thrust her arm out and offered the apple to Fitz. He took it.

"Yeah, I uh, just wanted to give you that..." she stuttered. Why was she acting like that? She was a mess. And it wasn't like anyone would question what she was doing in the lab, she worked there. Fitz did too. They worked together every day now, so her behavior relating to being beside him right now was absurd.

Had she been this way the entire week, after a certain realization about her feelings that had occurred during a night with Bobbi? Poor Bobbi, who had to listen to a bunch of questions being thrown around rapidly and either answered by Jemma herself or exploding into twelve more, before she even got a chance to respond. Bobbi could sense what was up. Could Fitz?

"Well, I think that it's time for me to head back," Mack said to Fitz, handing him the report that they'd been working on. "Coulson's got me stuck with inventory with Bobbi. Wish me luck."

"Have fun." Fitz responded, not even looking at Jemma when she remained quiet.

Oh no, Mack was leaving. She would be alone with Fitz. Originally, that had been the perfect scenario that she had come up with during her planning, but now she wanted to avoid the chance to speak with him. She wanted to have it said, but she didn't want to say it. There were too many variables about what could happen next. Too many possible reactions. But if Fitz showed the reactions numbered 3 through 8, then she wouldn't regret it would she?

"I will," Mack laughed. "See ya, Turbo. Simmons."

With that, he had left. And there was no doubt in Jemma's mind that by the end of his inventory session with Bobbi, he'd be caught up with Jemma's confession. It was now or never.

Fitz sat down on a bench and flipped through the pages of his report unknowingly. "Did you read the briefing details about Skye's last mission?" he asked.

"Yeah," Jemma breathed. "I can't see how she could pull off an undercover op as a nurse. She has no experience whatsoever."

"You can say that again," Fitz agreed. "You'd have been better suited for it." He looked up from the folder and Jemma momentarily forgot how to speak when she locked onto his gaze. She wanted to thank his mother for her unknowing ability to perfect his DNA in order to give him the bluest eyes that the biochemist had ever seen.

"Um, I don't, no I don't think so. I'm horrible under pressure." As evident by now. 

Fitz smiled. Did he not think that anything was up?

"Fitz?" she squeaked.

"Yeah?"

"Can we talk?"

"Sure," he said warily, his eyes scanning her face. "Is something wrong?"

Jemma laughed. "No, of course not. I just wanted to say something."

He motioned for her to go on. He relaxed a bit, but she could still see how tense he was.

Jemma began placing around where he sat as she spoke. "So, I've had time to think... and I came to the conclusion that maybe... maybe there's another level underneath our friendship that I didn't realize before."

She quickly glanced over at Fitz and could see that he was clearly confused by her words. She started to explain herself, hoping that he would understand what she was trying to say. They needed to have this figured out once and for all.

"I mean, we'd been friends for so long without anything resembling something other than complete platonic feelings that I didn't even _consider_ something... stronger. So obviously, even if I did feel something different, I wouldn't have recognized it. And then after the medpod, I had too many other things to think about that I couldn't process anything. But now... I know how I feel. And I think we should try."

Fitz stood up and crossed the distance between them until he was right in front of her. His eyes were clouded and his brows were furrowed, not processing what she'd said to her liking. "I don't understand," he commented. "What are you trying to say...?"

Jemma pressed down the surge of panic building up inside her. Why did he have to be so thick when it came to emotions? In fact, why was she? They were both total idiots for certified geniuses.

"What I'm trying to say is... Oh, bloody hell. Just let me show you." She placed a hand on his shoulder and used it to bring herself up to his level and press her lips against his. It was quick (long enough to portray the message, but brief enough so that it wasn't too awkward), but she could swear that he didn't kiss her back. She tried not to dwell on that.

Jemma pulled away to see Fitz with a dazed look on his face. She rocked on her heels, waiting for a reaction.

Fitz looked wide eyed at his feet before bringing them up to stare at her. "W-whatever I'd been expecting to happen today, that was not it," he managed.

"Yeah, I guess that it was not really anticipated, huh?" she breathed, laughing nervously.

"So, you mean that you... That we should..." he said, rubbing his neck.

"You're more than that, too, Fitz," Jemma confirmed.

"Oh. Okay." After a moment of thought, Fitz's face broke into a huge smile. "I'm glad. Because you are also still more than that for me."

Jemma couldn't contain herself anymore so she surged forward and closed the remaining distance between them, kissing him with a smile on her lips. This time he reacted better, minus the surprised confusion that had stopped him before. His arms welcomed her immediately and pulled her against him, he moved his lips against her own, and she could feel a grin pulling up the corners of his mouth.

Jemma's abdomen was filled with butterflies and her head felt fuzzy as she processed the fact that she was kissing her best friend. Scientifically, she knew that the feeling was just her brain releasing chemicals into her system, but in that moment she had a hard time believing that the pure ecstasy she was experiencing had anything to with something other than fate. She had it bad.

When they pulled away for air, both scientists simply gawked happily at each other and Jemma knew that he was feeling the same way. He shifted his arms so that they looped around her waist and she wrapped her own around his neck, enjoying the freedom of knowing that she could. Even amongst the dazed dizziness that grew inside her, Jemma's brain had one little corner that was still working.

"If you promise to eat healthy everyday, I'll kiss you again right now."

Fitz laughed. " _That_ I can do."

He ducked his head down to kiss her again, and all thoughts other than him vanished completely from Jemma's brain.

 

***

 

The next morning, when everyone stumbled down for breakfast, Jemma was greeted with the sight of Fitz already eating an apple. _Maybe, he just needed a little motivation_ , she thought to herself. When he saw her, a grin stretched across his face and she had to exert a little more effort in order to keep her wobbly knees under control.

Feeling a little too good from yesterday's events, she walked past him in the kitchen, placing a playful kiss on his cheek (receiving smirks from Mack and Bobbi and a gaping look from Skye. There was no doubt that she'd later ambush them about their relationship status). But, instead of walking towards the fridge to make a salad like she usually did, she headed straight for the pantry and pulled out a cupcake.

She sat down at the table beside Bobbi (who nudged her suggestively) and ate it slowly, thoroughly enjoying Fitz's stunned expression. Jemma winked at him, and Fitz rolled his eyes, but she knew that when he turned away he was smiling.

Jemma then reminded herself that if time travel was ever invented, she should go back and thank her 17 year old self for making that bet. But, for now... She was just going to enjoy what new events life had to offer. _Especially_ those that involved Fitz.

**Author's Note:**

> I actually have a story behind the events at The Academy that led to Jemma winning this bet. I also have an extra scene that I didn't put in at the end because i was tired and it all seemed to wrap like this. So, watch out. This may just get another chapter/epilogue. 
> 
> Heck, I might even turn this into a series of drabbles.


End file.
